Stick Men - Insatiable

SKURUNE151

In the early 80s, The Stick Men ruled the Philadelphia no wave scene. Reminiscent of James Chance and the Contortions with more hyperkinetic energy, they created a frenzied psycho-punk sound that featured gut-wrenching timing, extraordinary charm, personality with a plus, and tons of good humor. The Stick Men were a 5-piece experience of guitar/vocals, Acetone organ/clavinet/vocals, sax/trumpet/vocals, bass & drums. With stage manners as manic as their sound, the Stick Men magnetized and maintained a loyal fan base for their amazing live shows. In the mid 80s the group disbanded. This CD contains the The Stick Mens recorded output (two rare vinyl records) as well as rare live radio broadcasts. Also included is bonus CDRom material: a 20 Quicktime video of the band. The video reveals the explosive energy that characterized the bands live shows. The band remains an incomparable phenomenon to this day. ''Changing tempos, directions, riffs & rhythms every 20 seconds, stopping on a dime, accelerating to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds...'' 5/5 stars (''Indispensable'') -Alternative Press.

Damon Che from Don Caballero boutght 10 copies of this CD and drove across the state of Pennsylvania to go to the release party and get the CDs signed by the remaining band members. Now that's a fan.

"Insatiable collects all of the Stick Men's recorded output (1982's This Is the Master Brew and 1983's Get on Board the Stick Men) and adds three live tracks and a 20-minute QuickTime video of live footage from 1981 to 1983. This is the complete, ultimate Stick Men release. Led by singer/guitarist Peter L. Baker, the band blended raw punk energy with funk grooves, no-wave/new wave cheesy synths and hairdos, avant-garde complexity, and incredible stop-on-a-dime musicianship into something absolutely impossible to categorize but both very contagious and mind-boggling. The band featured drummer Jim Meneses, who would later be involved with Amsterdam avant rock bands Blast and Palinckx. The Stick Men could be envisioned as an impossible clash between Funkadelic, Palinckx, the Cramps, and Talking Heads. All tracks are very short (most under two minutes), packed with quirky melodies, 15-second changes, and exhausting vocal deliveries. Definitely one of a kind! "Mystery Party," "Duraflame Dog," "Jampire," and "Personality Pollination" are fantastic dance tunes for the epileptic. Sound quality on this compilation is as good as it gets. The video footage is amateur and jumpy, but since it comes from the only sources available (three shows from 1981 to 1983), it should be viewed as the only way to get a glimpse of what an experience a Stick Men performance was. Very strongly recommended to fans of avant-garde rock, punk, and new wave."-François Couture/All Music Guide